Does this chimney need repointing, eventhough it has a liner?

Joseph_4

Hi all,
I dont know much about chimneys, but a customer of mine was told she needs repointing.. She has a stainless steel liner.. Does that mean she no longer needs to worry about her brick chimney? From Picture looks to me bricks still need reinforcement but figured would see what the forum says
thanks
Joseph Hardoon

EBEBRATT-Ed

Yes if it needs repointing and it looks like it does it should be done. A liner is not a chimney on it's own. It needs the brick to protect it and also to keep the integrity of the house.

109A_5

Falling bricks can cause severe injury or death, it should be maintained or removed. They do fall apart.

Joseph_4

Thanks for the comments. I appreciate it!
Joe

Bob Harper

This chimney should be torn down to viable material and rebuilt. It is structurally unsound and pointing will not fix that. Pointing is just a surface cladding to resist water penetration between bricks. If the mortar has deteriorated, as this clearly has, it must be rebuilt. The flue gas acids have combined with the alkalis in the mortar to form soluble salts, which have migrated to the surface by osmosis leaving efflorescence and completing the destruction of the last viable mortar. The chimney is unstable. A listed liner is only tested and listed within a chimney of nominal 4" wythe walls made of 'solid masonry units'. Those are defined as having 75% of their cross-sectional area solid, continuous, bonded, and intact. Much of this mortar has lost its bond as you can see loose bricks. It does not have a proper crown. The liner does not have the requisite listed top support plate. HTH

JakeCK

I'd also be concerned about the rest of the roof. That first picture shows what appears to be a lot of missing shingles and might even show the tar paper beneath. I wouldn't be surprised if that roof leaked.

Gilmorrie

I'm not too keen about the way the metal replacement flue is solidly grouted. And, toward the left side of the photo, the chimney shell is wide open with no cover? I suspect that there are other messes not visible - perhaps throughout the house?

Bob Harper

Many liners were put in with a mortar plug only at the top. This was the original top support method for the first metallic liner, Ventinox, back in 1980. The top should not be open like that because this chimney does not even have a crown. It is supposed to have a cast concrete crown then a rain cap with animal guard mesh.